Ask a Professional Detailer...

[Meeyatch1]

I am anxious to see how this goes. I own a Grand Prix White NSX and before I buy anything I want to know that it will work. Please keep this thread updated if you get *all* of the swirl marks out. What color is the car in question?

 

[Stephen@NCAutoUSA]

I am anxious to see how this goes. I own a Grand Prix White NSX and before I buy anything I want to know that it will work. Please keep this thread updated if you get *all* of the swirl marks out. What color is the car in question?

My car is red. I need some real good camera though because I think my horrible piece of crap won't do justice. I really didn't work on trying to get the marks out. I just put another coat of sealant over top since I was busy, haha. I'll work on it a little more when and if I have time. Car looks amazing though, so shiny.

Stephen

 

[Detailed Image]

I am anxious to see how this goes. I own a Grand Prix White NSX and before I buy anything I want to know that it will work. Please keep this thread updated if you get *all* of the swirl marks out. What color is the car in question?

Peoples definition of a swirl often varies a lot and many times they do not have access to the proper lighting to see beyond the top layer of imperfections. If you truly have light swirls from regular maintenance using proper washing and drying techniques from Day 1 with 0 miles on the car, then yes it is possible to remove "all swirls". Once your paint has been subject to certain improper washing techniques, bristled car washes, dealership car washes, etc. there can often be imperfections that are too deep to safely remove. I recently performed a show prep on an 2003 M5 that was severely neglected:

Severe wash swirls on the surface:

Deeper imperfections revealed with 1000 watt halogens:

I was able to remove 95% of the imperfections after using multiple coats of compound with a yellow cutting pad at speeds from 1800 - 2100 rpm's. These imperfections this bad wouldn't stand a chance with a PC and would require days and days and days of polishing to really get anywhere close to where I got with the rotary buffer. I was actually worried on how safe it was to continue without measuring the paint depth.

I think the biggest thing to realize is not to get discouraged and each pass you make with the polish is wearing down your clear coat lower and lower, looking for that even playing field where there are no imperfections. Once you achieve that point or you are happy with the amount of imperfections left, you want to strive to maintain your vehicle properly so you minimize adding more imperfections in the future.

If you need a hand selecting anything, please do not hesitate to ask.

George

 

[Greg Z]

Could you please give me an update on order#968?
Oredered on the 9th and haven't seen it.
Thnx in advance. Greg Z

 

[Detailed Image]

Could you please give me an update on order#968?
Oredered on the 9th and haven't seen it.
Thnx in advance. Greg Z

Greg, I just tracked the order and it looks like it was damaged with FedEx on the 14th and is now on it's way back to us. I'll PM you with more details. Sorry for the inconvenience.

George

 

[Aero]

What kind of buffing and polishing products would you recommend for a car (not a NSX) that has black acrylic laquer with no clear coat? Any other special kind of tips for this type of paint/finish?

 

[Detailed Image]

What kind of buffing and polishing products would you recommend for a car (not a NSX) that has black acrylic laquer with no clear coat? Any other special kind of tips for this type of paint/finish?

You'd use the same products on a non-clear coated surface as you would a clear coated one. A problem you'll see is that the pads you use are going to get paint transfer on them since there isn't a clear coat layer. This is normal but can scare some detailers who do it for the first time. On finishes like this, I do enjoy topping them with a wax, it helps add that layer of dimension a clear coat can provide.

Hope this helps.

George

 

[Liquid]

Thanks a bunch. I'll be sure to keep this updated.

Steven I had the exact same problem you did. I was overcautious to the point of not actually getting the products to work. Once you overcome the concern of polishing away your clearcoat, you can get some really great results from the products George sells.

 

[Aero]

I have used the PO106FF ceramic polish and the Finishing Touch Glaze and it came out great. I won't redo the car again for at least a year. What is the shelf life for it and any special storage things to do?

 

[Detailed Image]

Nothing out of the ordinary. Store them indoors out of extreme temperature fluctuation ~60 degrees would be best. Try not to expose them to direct sunlight, and shake them up every so often (I usually shake mine up once a season or so).

Glad to hear things turned out as planned. Thanks for sharing.

George

 

[eNeSeX 95T]

Whats the best way to clean alacantra/suede??

 

[Detailed Image]

Whats the best way to clean alacantra/suede??

For alcantera/suede cleaning, this is what is recommended straight from Alcantara's site:

General Washing:
To preserve the beauty of Alcantara®, we recommend that you clean the fabric regularly, avoiding energetic scrubbing and the use of steaming equipment.

For car upholstery you can use specific products, or - if they are not on hand - dust it with a soft cloth or sponge dampened with clean water. Wring it out well and clean all Alcantara® fabric, taking care not to wet the upholstery too deeply; dampen the cloth in clean water, wipe again, and allow to dry well overnight. The rejuvenate the fabric by brushing it delicately with a soft-bristled brush.

Stain Removal:
For smaller stains, if specific products are not on hand, follow these instructions.

- Act immediately, within 30 minutes of the stain's formation.
- First, remove the substance which has been spilled with a spoon or plastic spatula, if it is dense (yoghurt, jam, etc.), or with a white paper towel or sponge if it is liquid.
- Never pour the cleaning product directly on the fabric; rather, use a white cloth or a well-wrung sponge (rinse in clean water each time after wiping and wring out well).
- Try to reduce the stain by working from the edge towards the centre; do not scrub hard, otherwise it could spread or penetrate more deeply.

Depending on the type of stain, you can use water, lemon juice, or pure ethyl alcohol (grain alcohol) as a stain removal agent. Please read the treatment instructions below.

Water-soluble stains:
- Fruit juice, jam, gelatine, syrup, ketchup: lukewarm water; rinse by blotting with clean water.
- Blood, egg, feces, urine: cold water (avoid warm water, which could coagulate these substances); rinse by blotting with clean water.
- Liquor, wine, beer, Coca-Cola, tea: lukewarm water; treat any traces of colour with lemon juice, then rinse well.
- Copying pencil, cocoa, chocolate, custard and chocolate sweets, ice cream, mustard: lukewarm water; rinse by blotting with clean water.
- Vinegar, hair gel, tomato sauce, coffee sweetened with sugar: lemon juice, then lukewarm water; rinse by blotting with clean water.

NON-water-soluble stains:
- Lipstick, foundation, mascara, eye shadow, perfume, shoe polish, oil and grease, grass stains, markers (including permanent markers): blot with ethyl alcohol, then water, and rinse. Grass and marker stains, especially on light-coloured fabric, must be treated as soon as possible to keep them from drying.
- Chewing gum and wax: put ice in a plastic bag and set it on the stain; when the substance hardens, chip it away, then treat with ethyl alcohol.

Stubborn stains:
Try repeating the treatments described several times; even stains which are not water-soluble often require subsequent treatment with water.

Old stains of unknown origin:
First treat with lukewarm water, then rinse by blotting with clean water.
If you see the stain begin to dissolve, repeat the treatment; let dry, and if necessary, treat with ethyl alcohol.

Hope this helps.

George

 

[Betanick]

Hi George,

I recently acquired a '91 NSX with the formula red paint. It rains quite a bit up here in Vancouver and have noticed that when I wash the car, it leave water spots. Is this lime?

Anyway, I do not currently own any specific auto detailing equipment. I was wondering if you could suggest a basic "kit" of items for the weekend layperson. Such as an orbital polisher, pads, waxes, cleaners, etc...

Thanks for your input.

Dave

 

[Detailed Image]

Dave,

Thanks for the inquiry. I'll be PM'ing you a package shortly. Look for it soon.

George

 

[Commander]

Dave,

Thanks for the inquiry. I'll be PM'ing you a package shortly. Look for it soon.

George

Could you send me the same package request as above? Need to get my Spa Yellow NSX back up to speed....

 

[Detailed Image]

PM's sent!

 

[gdae]

George:

I recently bought 303 Aerospace Protectant. I love that stuff! Use it almost everywhere. Thanks for recommending/carrying it.
I have a question about wheels, if I may. These are non-coated aluminum alloy, and they have water spots. Claybar and gasoline have had no effect.
By the way, thanks for all the info. You're helping a lot of guys out, here.
Randal (gdae)

 

[Detailed Image]

George:

I recently bought 303 Aerospace Protectant. I love that stuff! Use it almost everywhere. Thanks for recommending/carrying it.
I have a question about wheels, if I may. These are non-coated aluminum alloy, and they have water spots. Claybar and gasoline have had no effect.
By the way, thanks for all the info. You're helping a lot of guys out, here.
Randal (gdae)

Have you tried a metal polish that is designed for aluminum alloy? You could try something like P21s Finish Restorer along with a 2-sided metal polishing towel for optimal results. One side is designed to apply the product and work it in, while the other side is softer to buff off any haze remaining.

Thank you for your support and kind words.

George

 

[Dcypher]

Hey George or anyone else really,

I got a couple of questions. I was reccomended to use 1Z Einszett Paint Polish ''Lack Politur'' for polishing black cars. I seem to have a problem with it streaking. Is this because my coats or to heavy or is the product designed to be used with a buffer?

Maybe this has been addressed in previous post, but I am going to ask it again cause I am too lazy to go search. I understand the differance between waxes and sealant, but can you use them in conjuction with one another? Say sealing the car then applying wax over that.

Thanks

 

[Detailed Image]

Hey George or anyone else really,

I got a couple of questions. I was reccomended to use 1Z Einszett Paint Polish ''Lack Politur'' for polishing black cars. I seem to have a problem with it streaking. Is this because my coats or to heavy or is the product designed to be used with a buffer?

Maybe this has been addressed in previous post, but I am going to ask it again cause I am too lazy to go search. I understand the differance between waxes and sealant, but can you use them in conjuction with one another? Say sealing the car then applying wax over that.

Thanks

Mick,

One of the biggest things I see with detailers is they over apply the polish, which leads to it not fully breaking down, which leads to a difficult removal process and less than ideal results. Try working the polish in smaller areas and use less product. You're entire coat should be between 1.5 - 3 ounces of product to give you an idea.

Sealants and waxes are great alone or together. Using them together gets you the best of both worlds with durability, looks and protection. The sealant goes down first and will yield 3 - 6 months of protection on average. If you want to layer a second coat, allow for 24 hours between coats. Layer a wax on top for additional depth and gloss in the paint, as well as a second layer of protection, which often protects better for water spots and bird dropping etching. The problem w/ waxes is durability. Typical waxes only last 2 - 8 weeks so you want to reapply them more frequently than a sealant, I usually say monthly to play it safe unless you know your wax lasts less than that.

Hope this helps, let me know if there's anything else I can give you a hand with.

George

 

[crispin]

Hi George,

thanks for the very helpful info.

What would you recommend for (i) cleaning of the interior centre consol area, and (ii) for shampooing carpets? There are no particular stains or marks, just needs cleaining from normal usage.

thanks!

 

[Detailed Image]

Hi George,

thanks for the very helpful info.

What would you recommend for (i) cleaning of the interior centre consol area, and (ii) for shampooing carpets? There are no particular stains or marks, just needs cleaining from normal usage.

thanks!

crispin - I personally use 303 Vinyl & Carpet Cleaner for many reasons. The first is how versatile the product is. It works on vinyl, rubber, plastic, carpet, upholstery, leather and much more. The other major benefit is that it is a concentrated formula so your dollar stretches a long ways. I recommend diluting the product at a 6:1 ratio with distilled water. This means that a single 32oz bottle results in almost 2 gallons of cleaning solution. This product will work well for both places you specified. Consider a 22oz empty spray bottle, which has ounces marked off on the side so you can properly dilute the product to your desired ratio.

Let me know if there's anything else I can answer for you.

George

 

[AdvansCPAP]

Hello,

I have PC buffer and used "Adams swirl and scratch remover" at 3000 OPM to try and get rid of hard water spots with no results. I then turned it up to 6000 OPM and it got rid of most of the water spots, but I could still see it didn't get rid of them completely. I then used a there "revive polish" at 3-4000 OPM. I didn't didn't wax it after that. I noticed the final finish was not as crisp as the original finish, kinda dull and didnt think much of it. Several weeks later, the spot now is hazey. I then put more polish only by hand and waxed it. The hazeyness went away, but it is still not as crisp as the area I never touched with the buffer. What do you think I did wrong?

 

[Detailed Image]

Hello,

I have PC buffer and used "Adams swirl and scratch remover" at 3000 OPM to try and get rid of hard water spots with no results. I then turned it up to 6000 OPM and it got rid of most of the water spots, but I could still see it didn't get rid of them completely. I then used a there "revive polish" at 3-4000 OPM. I didn't didn't wax it after that. I noticed the final finish was not as crisp as the original finish, kinda dull and didnt think much of it. Several weeks later, the spot now is hazey. I then put more polish only by hand and waxed it. The hazeyness went away, but it is still not as crisp as the area I never touched with the buffer. What do you think I did wrong?

Good question. I have a few questions for you actually. Which pads were you using when operating the buffer?

First thing that comes to mind is when polishing to remove imperfections, you should always operate at speed setting 5 or 6. Lower speed settings often do not have enough power to properly break down the polish. My guess is that you stopped polishing with the abrasives not completely broken down, leaving you with a slightly hazy finish. Using too aggressive of a pad could also leave you with some haze.

If you could describe your process and pad combination a little further, we may be able to shed some more light on your issue.

George

 

[AdvansCPAP]

I was using their dual sided black and white foam pad. The white side is the second to their least agressive pad. The white side was used for the whole process as the black side is meant for waxing. I was also letting the machine do the work and never applied too much pressure at all going very slowly. I when in vertical and horizontal directions and overlapped everytime. The area is just not as deep dark black and reflections are not as sharp as the untouched areas. I seems like the clear coat just went dull and I didn't get the shine back.

I spoke with Adams customer service and they are thinking I may have burned the paint becasue I went up to 6000 OPM. They were thinking I should have kept the speed to 3000 opm and changed to a more agresssive pad. I thought the whole idea of using the PC is that you can't burn the paint with it? How am I supposed to know when to start increasing the speed or to change pads?

BTW are you familar with their product line? Thanks again.